While the music press is embroiled in a debate about the practicality, morality and financial specifics of music streaming, the deluge continued, with gripping new cuts from Freddie Gibbs, Tyler the Creator and Chance the Rapper--three of today's most engaging artists, each of whom has operated outside of most major label apparatuses. Of course, there were also the traditional heavy hitters, like A$AP Rocky, or Chance's old running mate Vic Mensa's Kanye West collaboration, "U Mad." These are the best hip-hop songs of the week ending today, April 10.

RelatedXXL’s Songs of the Week (March 28 – April 3)

Vic Mensa Feat. Kanye West, "U Mad"

When Kanye West debuted his Adidas fashion line in February, he tacked onto the show an addendum that would guarantee him a place in the next day's headlines: the supposed intro from his forthcoming seventh solo album, So Help Me God. The song he played, called "Wolves," features Grammy-nominated pop singer Sia and a kid from Chicago who raps very well. The latter, of course, is Vic Mensa, who overloaded his website's server this afternoon with "U Mad." Previously heard from live performances overseas (and mistakenly reported to be on So Help Me God), the brash drill rehash taunts suing paparazzi and the haters writ large. Regrettable Ray Rice line aside, it's sure to keep Vic in DJ sets throughout the summer.

RelatedPreview Kanye West’s ‘Wolves’ Feat. Vic Mensa and Sia

Da$H, "Mudd Walk"

Metro Boomin is inescapable--he's pumping out of the sound systems in passing cars, the apartment next to you, the club at the end of the block. But he doesn't get enough credit as an auteur, as someone who can bring notoriously hard-to-wrangle rappers together to realize a creative vision, despite his work on last fall's Future mixtape, Monster. But his latest production, Da$H's "Mudd Walk," is a strong argument in his favor. The New Jersey MC is acid-tongued, barking out his misanthropy over Metro's muted track.

RelatedListen to Mac Miller Feat. Da$H, Ab-Soul, Vince Staples and RetcH, ‘Amen’

Towkio Feat. Chance the Rapper, "Heaven Only Knows"

Towkio's .WAV Theory promises to be a left-leaning look into Chicago's underground, the kind of thing Chance the Rapper can't turn down. Since Acid Rap took the rap world by storm in 2013, Chance has taken painstaking steps to separate himself from the industry machine, shirking expectations and assumptions about his next direction. His verse here, one of his best of the last two years, makes this explicit: "I'm not in the industry." SaveMoney's Towkio more than holds his own, making his a tape to keep on your radar.

RelatedWatch Action Bronson and Chance the Rapper Perform ‘Baby Blue’ on ‘Letterman’

A$AP Rocky, "M's"

With his second album, At.Long.Last.A$AP, on the way, A$AP Rocky is trying to pare down his production values. While his last record leaned heavily on big-budget collaborations aimed at pop charts and college spring festivals, he has promised that his next effort will be leaner and more focused. "M's" works in that vein, a no-frills cut that could very easily have found its way onto Rocky's debut mixtape, Live.Love.A$AP.

RelatedA$AP Rocky Says A$AP Yams’ Death Eats At Him

Tyler, the Creator, "Fucking Young"

When Odd Future broke through to national audiences, it was with lyrics that shook middle America--at least the part that slept through Eminem's heyday--to its core. Tyler, the Creator was, of course, at the forefront, leapfrogging Jimmy Fallon and not really giving a fuck about his dad. Now, mellowed (inasmuch as Tyler will ever be mellowed) by age, he returns with "Fucking Young," a song inoffensive in every aspect but its writing. The lament about a prospective lover who is just, well, too young, receives a hilarious video treatment that recalls one of his heroes, Pharrell, at his most creative.

RelatedTyler, the Creator Launches Golf Media App

Kap G Feat. T.I. and David Banner, "La Policia (Remix)"

There are probably people out there who think T.I. isn't about that proverbial life, but they'd be wrong. Taunting law enforcement, claiming he has pistols under the seat, carries more weight when you've done time for gun charges; his verse on the remix of Kap G's "La Policia" is a victory lap for his bona fides. David Banner comes out of hibernation to compare police officer to Ku Klux Klan members, which isn't too far-fetched.

RelatedThe Break Presents: Kap G

Freddie Gibbs & Kaytranada, "My Dope House"

Freddie Gibbs was once a curiosity, an unknown from the Midwest who got a record deal, moved to Los Angeles, then became a force after he was dropped by his label. To wit, last year's Madlib collaboration, Piñata, is one of the decade's finest records, a dense, sweltering look into Gibbs' psyche and dietary plans. "My Dope House," his first collaboration with Canadian producer Kaytranada, is another testament to his near-peerless naturalism.

RelatedStream Freddie Gibbs’ ‘Pronto’ EP

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